Early Morning Murder
by SOUND-Art
Summary: Will Beckett realise her true feelings for Castle after she finds him working with the CIA? Or will their friendship be destroyed forever? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

The American Flag whipped about in the early morning wind, high above the New York Police Department building. Although it was early in the morning, the temperature was already hot and people were going about their daily lives, making their way to work. Inspector Kate Beckett was running down the road to the NYPD building, glancing at her watch and muttering.

"Castle, you owe me for this!" She mumbled towards the pavement.

"Hm, what about all the things I've done for you?" Richard Castle replied, leaning against the glass windows of her office.

"Out of my way, Castle, unless you want to end up with coffee over your jacket." She quickly walked past him, waiting impatiently for the elevator.

"Ooh, cranky! I like coffee, did you know that?" Castle ran along behind her, trying to keep up. Beckett looked at her watch, then turned around to face Castle.

"Shut it, smart mouth. I'm not in the mood for your sarcastic comments today. What was with the call at 2am this morning? Ever heard of sleeping?"

"Well, wasn't my fault I saw a murder."

"You WHAT?" Beckett turned around suddenly, splattering coffee over Castle.

"I'm out of your way, whoa.." Castle stepped backwards.

"You say you saw a murder? Where? When?"

"Now you want to listen, don't you?" Castle grinned.

"Yeah, heaps of people love hearing about murders at 2am, Castle."

"It was so good. Perfectly planned, just what a writer likes to see."

"You actually _liked _watching a murder?" Beckett's eyes narrowed.

"Channel Seven does host the best murders, what's there to not like about them?"

"A movie? You called me at 2am to tell me about a movie?!"

"Well, it is in your line of work," Castle grinned again.

"Today is gonna be a long day," Beckett sighed, as she stepped into the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

Richard Castle sat at Detective Kate Beckett's desk, fiddling with the blue pen lying on her desk. He opened up a wooden draw in her old desk, slowly pulling out her gun.

"What do you think you're doing with that?" The sudden voice startled Castle, who fumbled and dropped it straight back into the draw.

"Nothing really, just getting a sense of what my characters feel." Castle hastily turned around to face Beckett.

"You actually think your characters have feelings?" Beckett snorted.

"Oh, come on. Are you telling me you don't feel what the characters in the book you are reading, are feeling?" Castle looked at her with a fake expression of shock cast upon his face.

"Move it, Castle. That's _my _desk, and this is _my _office." Beckett raised her hand and pointed to the door.

"Oh, while you were getting the coffee a call came through."

Beckett raised her eyebrows, then narrowed her eyes. "What about?"

"Apparently there's been a murder." Castle smiled smugly.

"Give me the phone, NOW!" Beckett reached for the phone, spilling coffee over Castle for the second time that morning.

"Ha, I was joking before. I don't like coffee _this _much!"

"Beckett speaking," she exclaimed as she motioned for Castle to keep quiet.

Castle, being his normal self, started to pull faces at Beckett in the attempt to make her laugh. He failed and instead he received a sharp slap across the face.

Grasping his nose, Castle stood up and leant against the refrigerator.

"Right, I'll be there in a few minutes," Beckett replied, before hanging up.

"What were you doing that for?" Beckett glared at Castle.

"What, holding my broken nose?" Castle mumbled, looking for some ice in her messy fridge.

"No, pulling the faces. Unless you haven't realized, Castle, this isn't a playground."

"Oh, I thought it was. Must be in the wrong office."

"Not funny, Castle."

"Nothing's funny when I've got a broken nose, unless it had happened to somebody else." Castle winced as he smiled.

Beckett made her way over to her office door, grabbing her coat.

"I don't want to see anything out of place when I come back."

Castle held his hands up in the sign of a surrender, wincing again as she slammed the door.

"Hm…she didn't want anything moved but she didn't say _I _couldn't move," Castle exclaimed, grinning as he pulled on his jacket and followed her out the office.


	3. Chapter 3

Detective Beckett surveyed the crime scene. The apartment was small, rather old, yet still in good condition. The paint on the walls was a deep plum colour, and the window frames where painted a light blue. The wind whistled through a gap in a window, catching her attention. She pulled on her rubber gloves and stepped across the room. The window was slightly open, no more than a centimeter. She bent closer to have a good look, when the forensics worker walked in. The worker was new, and although Beckett had met her twice already, she didn't remember the worker's name.

The body was lying in the hallway, or, what was left of it. Beckett grimaced as she stared at the hand on the floor, looking around. There seemed to be no other parts of a human body around, so she went up closer to inspect it.

"Any ideas?" she whispered to the worker, desperately trying to remember her name.

"Looks like a murder, rather gory one too."

Beckett sighed, _why do they all state the obvious? _She thought.

"Looks like someone hated this guy," a voice behind Beckett muttered.

"Castle, what are you doing here. I thought I told you to stay away."

"Ah, you thought, but you didn't say." Castle stepped around the forensics worker to get a closer look.

"Whatever, just don't touch anything."

Beckett turned to Castle, running her hand through her wet hair. She hated rain. And when it rained on a Monday, she hated it even more.

She looked around the rest of the house, carefully examining some blood found on the windowsill, which turned about to be blood from a unique species of bird.

As Beckett was driving back to her office with Castle tagging along, she lost it.

"Why do you follow me? You're not a cop Castle, and it's not a fun job."

"I'm a writer, and to write well, I need to know what the crime scenes are like." Castle replied, smirking.

Beckett sighed and turned her focus back to the road. Thoughts raced through her mind like freight trains, barely pausing as the next one came rushing in. Scenes from her past clustered among her new investigation thoughts, confusing her mind. Without noticing, she drifted into sleep.

She woke immediately, glancing around. The car was still in tact, and there seemed to be no visible damage. Suddenly she realized what had happened. _I was driving, I fell asleep. What's happened? Where am I? _And then a few thoughts later, _Where's Castle?_

"Morning sunshine, evening actually."

"Castle, is that you?"

"Nah, it's some mass murder just coming to say hello. Who do you think it is?" Castle's face appeared by her window.

"You know, if I hadn't been with you when you fell asleep – you'd probably be dead by now."

"I know that Castle," she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Thanks.." she muttered, looking into the distance.

"Not a worry."

"Where, exactly are we?" She questioned.

"Just outside your office. You've been out for around 1 and a bit hours."

"Seriously? See Castle, this is what happens when _someone _calls me at a ridiculous hour."

"Not my fault."

"Oh, so you're saying the phone called me by itself?"

"Something like that." Castle laughed. Castle's eyes grew wide as he realized Beckett was laughing too.

"How does coffee sound?" He questioned.

"Does coffee have a sound?" She laughed, then stepped out of the car as they made their way to Starbucks.


	4. Chapter 4

"I have never had a conversation this interesting,"

Beckett sighed, as Castle continued talking without pausing to breathe. She fiddled with her nails as she thought about the murder. _Who leaves a hand behind? What's the point of that? If you didn't want the cops to find the body, why would you leave something as small as that hand there, in full view? _The thoughts powered through her mind, sparking new thoughts which joined the others circling. Castle was busily talking about his latest book, Rise of the Stone. Beckett's latest investigation had given him a grand idea for his next chapter, where the main character, Nikki Heat, comes across a severed hand.

"You're not putting that in your story, Castle."

"Come on, why not? It's the perfect plot, the readers'll love it."

"No means no, Castle. No exceptions."

Castle stood up slowly, watching her expression.

"We should get back to work."

"Work? What do you mean, work? I'm going to work, you're going home." Beckett growled.

"No way! Who wants to miss the fun?"

"There is no fun when it comes to solving murders." Beckett looked up at Castle, then stood so she was at Castle's eye level. She picked up her coat, grabbed Castle's arm and left Starbucks. As she entered her office door, she turned to Castle.

"Go home. Get some sleep. I'm not going to disappear, you know."

"Want to come round for celebration tonight? My mother's organizing this minature party for the publication of my latest book." Castle looked towards the floor.

"I don't party," Beckett replied. She didn't go to parties, it wasn't part of her life. Where was the time in her life to party?

"Come on, it'll be great. Just a few people, nothing major. It's not like we're going to be the oldest there or anything."

"Great consolation that is, Castle," she said as a grin spread across her face. "Sure, I'll come."

"Right, you know where I live. Ooh, spooky. It's at seven. See you." Castle said, turning and walking down the stairs.

Beckett sat at her desk, looking out the window at the hazy view of the city. She wasn't used to have friends. The last party she'd been to was over a year ago, she didn't have anything fancy to wear. Deciding that it was time she should get back to work, she called the FBI and asked for updates of the crime scene. As she sat, waiting for the phone to answer, she made a mental list of where she was going shopping later that evening. She returned to reality as the phone was answered, and winced as she realized who had answered. Whenever she called, she managed talking to her ex-boyfriend.

"Hello? Agent … speaking."

"Hi, it's Detective Kate Beckett with the NYPD"

"Ah…anything much new going on down your way?" Beckett rolled her eyes.

"No. I'm calling to ask about the forensic results for that hand we found today at murder scene 51A."

"Yeah, I'll put you through to them in a minute. Do you want to catch up for coffee tomorrow?" he asked.

"You're wrong if you think I spend my days drinking coffee, Agent. I actually do some work. Unlike you."

"Is that author, what's his name..Castle, that's it, is he still tagging around?"

"He's not tagging around, he's working with us."

"Working is he? Last time I saw you two together you were ready to murder each other." Beckett rolled her eyes again, praying that the forensics lab would accept the call soon. Her wishes were answered, and the forensics lab gave her the news that the hand was of a missing person by the name of Peter Sahdon. She hung up after a rather abrupt thank you, and sighed. She wrote down the details, grabbed her keys and coat and went off to do some well needed shopping.

The music in the clothes store was almost deafening. Beckett held the red dress in one hand, and a pair of high heels in the other. Heading to the changing room, she was reluctant to try the dress on. _Do I have to? Surely I could just call and say something came up at work, Castle would understand. No, Beckett, you're going, whether you want to or not. _She firmly told herself, pulling on the dress. It was a perfect fit. She had forgotten how much fun it was to go shopping, and felt completely at home when she tried the shoes on. She pranced about in the tiny fitting room, then decided she needed a new purse to go with her evening's colour scheme. After getting changed, she admired all the purses on display. After reluctantly deciding she had to choose one eventually, she made her way back to the office with a smile on her face. Javier Esposito, one of the workers in her homicide team, glanced at her with a surprised expression on his face.

"You've been shopping I see."

"Doesn't take a homicide detective to notice, does it?" she laughed.

"So…what's the dress for?"

"How did you know it was a dress?"

"Designer label. Being a cop has it's advantages, you know." He laughed.

"Going to a party tonight, at Castle's place. Just a small celebration of the publication of his new book," she replied.

"Sounds neat. I would come, but I'm staying here to get some work done." At this, Beckett snorted.

"Work? Wow..never heard that word come out of your mouth before." She smiled, then packed up for the evening and went to get changed in the bathrooms. Hurriedly she brushed her hair, squinting to see if the light highlights were visible. Picking up her dress, she ran as quietly as she could to the elevator. She felt a strange feeling inside her. She was actually looking forward to celebration party.


	5. Chapter 5

Beckett could hear the party before she saw it. As she stepped out the elevator, she hear the music and laughter drifting from Castle's door, winding down the hallway and echoing. Stumbling in her new high heels, she fell into Castle's door with a clatter. The door opened within a matter of minutes. Castle's mother looked at Beckett and gasped.

"Oh, Sweetie, you look gorgeous!" she smiled.

"Oh, um thanks," Beckett stammered, not used to the attention.

"Come in, dear," she motioned towards the room. Beckett glanced around the room, and her eyes widened. It was modern. She hadn't really known what to expect, but this surprised her for some reason. The red couches, the new bookcases, the modern artwork on the wall and the spacey offices and living areas. Alexis, Castle's daughter, must have noticed Beckett's surprised expression.

"Not what you expected, is it?" Alexis smiled.

"I'm not sure what I was expecting; it just took me by surprise."

Beckett headed towards Castle and the other visitors and joined their ever growing circle.

"I like your dress, dear," said Castle's mother.

"Thank you! I went hurriedly shopping for it this afternoon." Beckett liked her dress as well. It was a full body dress, smoothly flowing to the ground. The red silk-like fabric gathered just below her left knee and was covered with sequins. Her red high heels were simple and stylish, with two leather straps holding them on. The purse was a deep burgundy colour, also covered with purple sequins. The light orange highlights in her hair were caught by the light, flowing over her shoulder length, dark brown hair. Castle introduced her to his publishing friends, and they spent the majority of the evening happily chatting. The doorbell rang around 9pm, and Castle went to answer it.

"Hello Castle," a high pitched voice said.

"Oh, um, hi." Castle stumbled. Beckett looked around, glancing at who was standing in the shadow of the door.

"Come in, come in," Castle held the door open. A tall lady entered the room, with short blonde hair who was a little smaller than Castle.

Beckett nudged Castle's arm sharply.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Castle spun around.

"Shh! Who is she?"

"Her, oh, she's my publisher."

"Really? Why does she keep looking at you then?"

At this point, Castle looked around and leant closer to Beckett.

"She's my ex-wife," he whispered, "We don't get along any more, although she would love a share in all of my book sales."

"Hmph," Beckett grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"Don't like her much, do you?" Castle replied.

"Oh no, I just adore her." Beckett rolled her eyes to the ceiling, waving her arms about to make a point. Castle laughed, as Beckett walked off to get a glass of wine.

"You're actually going to drink, Kate?" Alexis said.

"It's been so long since I've had a drink, or anyone has called me Kate." Beckett giggled, her eyes lighting up with happiness. She grabbed a drink and went back to Castle, where the publisher stood, mid-fight.

"Come on, you're not serious?" the publisher said, her eyes sharply narrowed.

"Let it go. You're not part of my life any more, other than publishing my books." Castle threatened. Beckett suddenly tripped, falling over her high heels. The glass of wine flew from her hand, gliding through the air, with wine cascading from it. It fell right on the publisher, covering her new suit with dark stains.

"Oh, how dare you!" she yelled, launching herself at Beckett.

Beckett stepped backwards, as the publisher grabbed her shoulders. Castle stepped forwards, eager to watch. Beckett grabbed the publisher's arm, twisting it backwards.

"Ow!" the publisher yelled, sinking her teeth into Beckett's arm. Beckett responded with a sharp elbow to the lady's stomach. The lady fought back, grabbing Beckett's leg and pulling her backwards. Beckett shouted, and Castle ran over to try and pry the two apart. The publisher flung her arm back, and with a sickening crack it came into contact with Castle's nose. Castle howled and fell forwards, while the publisher grabbed her arm and fell backwards onto Beckett. As she was falling, Beckett tripped her, so the publisher landed face first in the table that held the wine glasses. They all knew that getting a face full of glass was not a pleasant experience, and winced as she screamed. Alexis ran in, pulling Castle to his feet. She then pulled Kate up, who was in the attempt of trying to stand, but was miserably failing.

"What," Beckett gasped, "was that about?"

"No," Castle gulped, "idea."

"Are you two alright?" Alexis questioned, worriedly looking to them both.

"We're fine," Beckett replied, then motioning towards the still figure of the publisher, "but I don't think she is."

Castle laughed at this, rubbing his sore nose. "I don't think it's broken, just sore," he replied in regard to Alexis's worried face.

Beckett looked at the ground. She felt bad, since she had spoiled the party. She made her way to leave, grabbing her purse and heading towards the door when an arm pulled her back.

"Where are you going?" Castle asked.

"Home, I completely wrecked your party. I'm sorry Castle," Beckett almost started to cry.

"No, no, wait. You didn't wreck the party. Don't feel that way," he replied, anxiously turning around to see the publisher. She still lay motionless on the other side of the room.

"I shouldn't have come. I only make things worse."

"Stop telling yourself that, Beckett!"

"It's true, Castle."

"Only when a writer says something is true, is it true." Castle pleaded.

"Look, I need some time out. Don't pressure me." She turned away. "I just need space!" She screamed, running from the room, slamming the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Beckett slumped onto her red couch, wiping the tears from her face. She stumbled over the rug as she made her way to the bathroom. She splashed the icy cold water over her face. She looked up, facing her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red, swollen from crying. Her hair was bedraggled, spiking out at random places. Grabbing the hairbrush, she pulled in through her hair. After tidying up her appearance, she stumbled back to her room, falling onto the bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, into a deep sleep.

_She stood amongst the chaos, looking around her. Cars where engulfed in flames, plumes of dark smoke grasping the air. Sirens wailed in the distance, but she knew they wouldn't be of any help. People were running, screaming, as she stood there, unable to help anyone. Far off in the distance, she saw a city skyscraper collapse, falling to the ground in a confusion of mayhem. More screams pierced the air, as people tried to help others from the burning wreckage that lay scattered, scarred and lifeless. She spun around, reaching out to help someone from a burning car. They grabbed her arm, silently begging with a pleading look in their eyes. She pulled, helping them from the car. Then as soon as she let go, they vanished. A lady with dirt smudged on her face, tears running down her cheeks stepped over to Beckett. _

"_Why aren't you helping us?" she gasped, breathing deeply. "Why do you get to live, when we must die?" she laughed, tears streaming down her face at the same time. Her burnt hands shook Beckett by the shoulders. _

"_You have to help us. You're the only one who can."_

Beckett woke herself from the dream, screaming. She shuddered, leaping out of bed. She ran to the kitchen, opening the fridge to feel the cool air on her sweaty face. She looked at her hands, her arms. Normal, there wasn't anything wrong. She fell asleep, listening to the comforting hum from the fridge.

She awoke early, wrapping her arms around herself. She stood up shakily, shutting the fridge. She grabbed a muesli bar on her way to the shower, washing her hair quickly as though to remove the memories of the nightmare. As she pulled on her familiar red jacket, over her white top, the phone rang. Beckett ignored it, trying to focus on what she was wearing. She didn't want to turn up to work in her pajamas, but at the rate she was going, she might have to. Locking the door, she turned around and hopped into her car. It wasn't really her car, she was borrowing it from Esposito for the week because her car was at the repairs. She tried not to think about the unfortunate collision she'd had with the power pole outside work, causing a spectacle for all the officers to see. The engine idled quietly as she waited in traffic. Her phone rang again, bringing Beckett back from her thoughts. She picked it up, praying it wouldn't be Castle.

"Hey Beckett, Esposito here."

"Oh, um, hi. Sorry I'm late, stuck in the gridlock just outside home." She replied.

"Not a worry, I was caught in it too. Looks like Castle is as well, he's not here yet."

"Great. I hope whoever caused this gets in a whole lot of trouble."

"Yeah, me too. Anyway, what I was calling about – have there been any leads on the hand case yet?" he asked.

"No, I forwarded it to the FBI."

"Why? I thought we could handle it."

"There's nothing to go on, and I like giving them the boring stuff to do. Gives them a bad reflection with all the reviews of the unsolved cases they have stored away in their safes."

"Oh, right," Esposito laughed.

"Ah, traffic's moving. See you later." Beckett hung up, driving the car as the traffic inched forwards.

The sudden sound of a gunshot rang out, and someone screamed. Beckett glanced up, alert. Picking up her phone she hurriedly dialed Esposito back.

"Gunshot, in the gridlock. Send some patrol round, now!" she yelled into the phone, hanging up before getting an answer. Another gunshot pierced the air, and more screams tore through the still air. She jumped out of the car, instantly hesitating. _Should I wait for backup, in the safeness of the bullet-proof SUV, while others suffer? Or should I go and help? _She shut the car door, running towards the source of the noise. She stopped, feeling faint when she saw the scene. _A car, engulfed in flames, plumes of dark smoke grasping the air. Sirens wailed in the distance, and this time Beckett knew they would be for help. _Beckett ran forward, grabbing the man with the gun, pulling him to the ground. She knocked the gun afar, and a bystander stepped on it so it was out of reach.

"Police, keep away!" she yelled, grabbing her badge. "Stay away!" she yelled louder, as scared bystanders stepped forwards to help her. The sirens she had heard were approaching, and she heard footsteps coming closer.

"Police, move away, move away!" she heard Esposito's familiar voice yelling through the crowds.

"Everything alright, Beckett?" he gasped, grabbing the man squished against the ground, hand-cuffing him.

"Yeah," she gasped, "I think so." She ran towards the car with the shattered window, yanking the door open.

"Can you hear me?" she asked, feeling the girl's arm for a pulse. The girl must have been no younger than thirty years of age, and the sight brought tears to Beckett's eyes.

"I said, can you hear me?" she asked again, louder this time.

"Esposito, get an ambulance. No response over here!" Beckett yelled, hurrying over to the second car. The old man in this car looked instantly familiar. The white hair, the greenish-blue eyes… He was conscious, trying to get her attention. She lost her thoughts, her mind searching for the evidence of who he was. Beckett saw the blood on the man's shirt, and she turned around and yelled back to Esposito. "Get another ambulance, we need help immediately!"

"Can you hear me, sir?" she questioned, trying to find a pulse.

"Yes, I can, Detective Beckett."

"How do you know my name?" she asked, helping him out of the car.

"Don't you recognize me? You helped solve the murder of my wife a few months ago." He said.

"Ah, that's right. You're Mr Thomason, right?" she asked, helping him towards Esposito's car.

"That's correct. Thank you for helping me, I'm not sure we'd have survived if you weren't around."

"It's really Castle you have to thank, Sir. I went to the celebration party of his new book launch last night, and we had a fight. I'm right in the middle of a life-crisis, Mr Thomason. So I was up all of last night, crying as I slept beside the fridge. I awoke early, but took forever to get out. Once in the car, I saw this gridlock. If I'd been twenty minutes earlier like I normally am, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Oh my poor, poor dear!" Mr Thomason exclaimed, holding tightly to Beckett's arm as he tried to stop himself from falling, "what a horrible evening for you both. Pass my thank you on to Castle, in that case." He said with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Will do, Sir. Anything I can get you?" she asked.

"I would dearly love a strong cup of coffee, but I don't see much chance of that happening," he said, surveying the gridlock around them. More sirens wailed in the distance, and Beckett turned to see the ambulances approaching.

"I'm sure we could organize one once you're on your way to hospital," Beckett grinned.

"That would be quite fine." He laughed back, holding onto her arm. "Whose car is this, it looks rather, interesting," he whispered.

Beckett laughed, "Oh, this car belongs to Esposito, one of my colleagues in the homicide squad. He's more a field agent, thus requiring the bullet proof-ness of this beast." She smiled, leaning against the car as the ambulances approached. Paramedics rushed past her with the victim from the first car, who had been talking to another officer after regaining consciousness.

"Goodbye, Mr Thomason. Give me a call if you need anything. We're going to be busy questioning the mad gun-man from this morning's incident." Beckett helped him walk over to the paramedics.

"Goodbye, Kate Beckett. I'll be in fine hands at the hospital, so you get your young mind onto that busy case of yours," he said, with a smile that lit up his eyes.

"Great morning alright," Beckett mumbled to Esposito as they walked into the office.

"Well, at least no one is dead, they're all still with us."

"I just don't get it. Who takes advantage of a gridlock in peak hour traffic, to shoot two random drivers?"

"What if they weren't random? There has to be a link somewhere, which we're just not seeing." Esposito stood by the window, absentmindedly stirring his coffee.

"Best get to work," Beckett replied, sitting at her desk.

"Seen Castle this morning?" Esposito interrupted.

"No, I haven't. Don't want to either." Beckett looked down and straightened up the pens on the desk.

"What's new?" Esposito laughed, then stopped as he realized Beckett wasn't laughing with him. He waved his hands up in the air, pointed towards his desk and exclaimed, "Right, I'm just going to go…get some work done," he nodded, walking over towards his desk.


	7. Chapter 7

Esposito sat at his desk opposite Beckett, watching her as she tried to work. She kept brushing her hair out of her eyes, and at one point she slammed down her file and stood up to do her hair. She seemed to be in a weird mood today, and he gathered that it was due to something Castle had done. He looked back down to the file that he was finishing off, and the words meant nothing. He realized that they just passed cases off as though they were pieces of cake, not something like memories. They just finished off the files, and moved on. No one put deep thought into the conclusions of a case, it was more a 'get it done and over with' attitude. In a mad feeling of fury at this thought, he screwed up the piece of paper and threw it with force into the trash bin beside the desk. Beckett looked over towards his direction at the sudden noise, and smiled._ Looks like I'm not the only one having a bad day, _she thought, feeling instantly happy inside that she wasn't alone in the world of nightmares. Tightening her hair into a neat bun, she sat back down to work and let her mind wonder. Thoughts of previous cases, Castle, her parents, Castle, this mornings hit and run, Castle, ran through her mind in an endless stream. Sighing, she stared towards the window and thought about changing her life. She felt like she'd hit a speed bump at 100km an hour, life just felt as though she'd made a huge mistake. She considered dropping by at Castle's house to talk to Martha, his mother, who always had a solution to everything. Even Alexis, but that was hardly fair for a teenager who was still trying to figure out exactly how life worked.

"I'm gonna grab some coffee. Want some?" she stood up, adjusting her jacket on the back of her chair.

"You're a psychic, just want I want," Esposito held out his mug, as Ryan walked in.

"Oh, you're the new coffee scout?" he asked, with a grin across his face, holding out his mug to Beckett. She laughed, and went off to make coffee.

"Ryan, I think Castle said something that's really upset Beckett," Esposito told Ryan in a hushed whisper.

"Why do you think that?" Ryan glanced over to where Beckett was standing, making sure she was out of hearing distance.

"Never mind the unnecessary details, just listen to me." Esposito leant over to Ryan's desk. "She's been weird all morning. Quiet, keeps fiddling with stuff, doesn't mention Castle, ignores anything to do with him. It's not like her."

Ryan looked back to Esposito. "Do you think they had a fight over something? Or is Beckett just in one of her moods. We both know how she and Castle get on some days." He said, laughing. He stifled the laugh immediately as Beckett turned to look at them, narrowing her eyes and tipping her head to the side.

"Nothing you missed Beckett," Ryan yelled. She went back to making the coffee, then carried the three mugs over to their desks.

"Whoa, three mugs?" Ryan exclaimed, "I can't even manage one." They all laughed at this, then settled down at their desks.

"So…how's Castle been?" Ryan asked, as Esposito nudged him sharply with his elbow.

Beckett turned towards them. "I wrecked the party last night. Had a fight with his ex, managed to screw it up completely." She said, almost breaking into tears. Ryan and Esposito looked at each other. This wasn't what they had expected to hear, far from it.

"Do you know why Castle isn't at work this morning, then?" Ryan asked.

"No idea, actually. I was dreading work, almost tempted to call in sick. Decided I'd face life though, so that's why I'm here." She nodded, looking down.

"Hm. How about giving Castle a ring?" Esposito said, causing Ryan and Beckett to look at him in astonishment.

"I mean, a phone call, not a ring, as in wedding ring…" Esposito laughed nervously, feeling embarrassed.

"I'm glad to hear that you aren't going mad, Esposito. That would leave no sane ones in this place." Beckett laughed.

"Hey, are you saying I'm crazy?" Ryan said, pointing to himself.

"Maybe, depends. Do I really think you define crazy? No, you give it a new meaning."

"Oh, well. At least crazy is better than obsessed-with-work, like your are, Detective Beckett!" Ryan laughed.

"Sure, sure. I'm the only one who _does _any work around here most of the time."

"Right, I'm not going to argue with that," Esposito said, turning back to his desk.

"Oh, thanks for the coffee," Ryan said, turning back to his desk to get work done.

"Thanks," Beckett replied, "for being my friends."

Ryan nudged Esposito. "See? She's _my _friend." He whispered, quietly.


	8. Chapter 8

When Beckett arrived home, she sat on the couch, fiddling with her necklace. She reached over and picked up the phone. Clenching the phone tightly in her hands, she weighed up her options. Striking up the courage, she dialed Castle's mobile. It rang and rang, the solid ringing echoing in her mind. It was picked up by the answering machine, and Beckett listened to the familiar voice. The tone sounded and Beckett hung up, lying on the couch. Memories of unhappiness clenched her thoughts. Thoughts of life when she still had parents. She shrugged, trying to overthrow the unfortunate memory. As she drifted into sleep, the familiar sound of the phone rang. She jumped up, looking for the phone in excitement. Grabbing the phone, she barely glanced at the Caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Beckett here," she answered happily.

"Sorry to spoil your mood Beckett," she frowned as she realized it was Esposito, "I don't want to tell you this, but it's about Castle. He's missing."

Upon hearing this news, Kate Beckett fell onto the couch, all her emotions welling up inside her. _Fear, anger, hurt and stress. _She felt the overpowering sense to cry and try to hold back her tears in a midst of anger. Curling up into a small ball, she hugged herself, feeling the comforting feeling of which she had not experienced in a long time. As she twisted and turned to feel comfortable, she turned the TV on. The evening shows blared on the screen, and she didn't take any of it in. Cooking advertisements, the weather update and cooking shows came and went, and she anticipated the news. The news arrived and she sat up, watching the screen. Nothing made the main headlines, and she didn't understand why it wasn't plastered on every screen around the nation. It came towards the end of the news, and she felt unhappy when she saw the headline, "CASTLE IS MISSING." The reporter told of how Castle had been driving to work that very morning, then never arrived. Martha, and his daughter, Alexis, were distraught. On this note, Beckett turned it off, grabbed her keys and ran to the door. She left, carefully checking that it was locked firmly behind her and she clambered into the SUV, navigating her way to Castle's house. She parked on the sidewalk, displaying her Police Permit for anyone who happened to think of booking her for parking in front of the driveway. Climbing the stairs, she thought of her feelings this morning. _Not much different to what they are now. Come on, why does Castle choose THIS day to go missing? _But deep inside, she knew that Castle didn't choose to go missing. She knew that something more sinister was at play. Knocking hard on the front door, she waited impatiently for it to open. Martha opened it, and burst into tears when she saw Beckett.

"I just can not believe it!" she sobbed, enveloping Beckett in a tight hug. Beckett squirmed and saw Alexis staring out the window, tears running down her cheeks. She went over to hug Alexis, knowing how close she was to her father. Alexis sobbed louder as she hugged Beckett, the emotions pouring out of her crystal clear blue eyes.

"It's alright, he'll be back." Beckett tried to reassure her.

"But how can you be sure?" Alexis asked, wiping the tears violently from her face.

"It's Castle, he'll always come back. Think of it like a homing pigeon," Beckett said, causing Alexis to laugh. They both laughed, and Martha entered the room.

"What's this that you're laughing about? I do not believe that a friend can make my granddaughter laugh when I can't even make her smile!" Martha exclaimed, waving her arms in the air as she smiled.

"We'll do the best job we can to find him, that's if he doesn't come home on his own," Beckett laughed, feeling the tears in her own eyes start to well up.

"Oh, don't cry Kate. We can't have three of us crying, what would Castle say?" Martha exclaimed.

"Oh, Castle….he'd say, 'What happened to the fun in life, you know, f-u-n?'" Beckett laughed, as she let the tears flow easily down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, before bursting into sobs. Martha hugged her again, slowly rubbing her back.

"Come on dear, have a cry. You'll feel much better once it's all out." Martha said, pulling away to see if Beckett was still crying. Beckett tipped her head backwards, wiping away the remaining tears that told of her feelings from deep inside. She didn't like showing emotions, it wasn't right. She'd forgotten what it felt like to cry, a cry where someone else was there to hold you, to help you through life. Usually, she cried alone. Rarely, but always alone. She looked around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings. It was weird to be there without Castle's sarcastic comments interrupting her thoughts, and in a way she kind of missed it. Normally she complained, but her mind thought different, telling her what things she _really _liked. She felt like a deflated balloon, with no air left in her. She took deep breaths, savoring the cold air that was being pumped around the room by the quiet air conditioner. Alexis picked up one of the copies of Castle's books, flipping through it. A small piece of paper fell out, and Beckett gasped. Beckett grasped the paper, squinting to read the very untidy writing that she recognized as Castle's.

"Meeting at 24, Cirque Place," Beckett read aloud, "Hang on, I know that place. That's one of the CIA's secret headquarters." She exclaimed, whipping out her phone.

"Esposito, long story short – get a couple of officers to 24 Cirque Place. Castle should be there." She didn't wait for the response, hanging up immediately and grabbing Alexis' arm.

"Come on, let's go." She ran to the door, motioning with her hand for Martha and Alexis to leave before her. Martha stood behind and locked the door, and then they ran down the stairs in a hurry. They climbed into Beckett's borrowed car, as they drove hurriedly through the streets towards Cirque Place.


	9. Chapter 9

(A small note - please excuse this! Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, it's more of a "filler" kind of thing to keep the story moving. I have no idea whatsoever as to where this story is going either...so hold on tight!)

Stepping out of the car, Beckett looked suspiciously around. Alexis and Martha climbed out from the car behind her.

"Do you always drive," Martha gasped, "like that?"

Beckett grinned, "It's not always that you have to rescue someone important. But if Castle knew about all this…he's going to be in _so _much trouble." As she said this, Esposito drove up, his patrol car pulling up closely behind Beckett's borrowed car. He jumped out, followed by three other officers.

"This the place?" he asked Beckett, motioning to the modern building that was towering above them.

"I think so. Never been here before, never had any complaints or anything about it either." She tipped her head backwards and looked up.

"We're going to go up floor by floor," one of the taller officers said.

"Do you have any idea how many floors this building is?" Beckett asked.

Esposito laughed, "Something like 25 floors. It's gonna take us forever. Couldn't we just ask at the front desk?"

"Privacy issues." Beckett grumbled.

"Damn things." Esposito growled, stepping confidently forwards, he turned, "Well, what are you waiting for? We have a Castle to rescue!" he saluted, laughing as they entered the building. Beckett nearly stumbled as she looked at her surroundings. Clean, new and tidy. Nothing like the foyer back at her work. A real plant sat in a shiny silver pot over in the far corner.

"Probably a surveillance device," Esposito mentioned, noticing where Beckett was staring.

A young lady interrupted them, "Can I help you?" she offered.

"Yes. Has a man by the name of Richard Castle entered this building?" Beckett asked, showing her NYPD badge.

"I don't think so. I'll check the database though. Who's asking?" she tapped some letters into the computer in front of her.

"Detective Kate Beckett from New York Police Department," Beckett replied, rolling her eyes to Esposito. He stifled a laugh and the young lady shook her head.

"No, I don't think he has, sorry." She said.

"Thanks for your time," Beckett grinned, her fake smile plastered across her face. She turned to the officers and Esposito. "Right, floor by floor it is."

As they reached the 12th floor, Beckett sighed. None of the other floors held anything of interest. The twelfth floor, however, looked different. Lots of offices, with people milling around in their daily lives.

"Bet you he's on this floor," Esposito said, quietly.

"You've said that for every floor we've set foot on," Beckett looked around the spacey opening area from the lift.

"I have. Well, okay, um…" he hesitated.

Beckett stepped forwards, cautiously approaching one of the silver doors.

"I can hear him," she growled.

"New York Police, open up!" she yelled, banging on the door. The door opened a second later.

"We were expecting you, Detective Beckett."


	10. Chapter 10

(Sorry it's been so long since I've written some work! Here's some more to keep you all happy. )

Rain ran down the windows, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Beckett stared at the man in front of her, who must have been a good 4 inches taller than she was.

"Oh, you've been expecting me, have you?" she questioned.

"I have indeed. Please, come in." he motioned with his hand towards the open room, dimly lit by a small light hanging from the ceiling. Beckett looked back to Esposito and the other officers, before entering the room. Looking around, she noted that there were two exits. One door, the one which they had entered the room from, and another wooden door on the other side of the room.

"How did you know I was coming?" she asked, staring the man in the eyes. He had a dark skin, with even darker eyes.

"We know almost everything there is to know about the NYPD."

"Oh yeah?"

The man chuckled, a deep laughter that sounded hollow. "Please, sit."

At this remark, Beckett whipped around and grabbed the man by his jacket.

She growled, "I didn't come here for a cup of coffee. I came to get him," she nodded towards Castle. "This isn't any of your business." She let go of his jacket, stepping back.

"Unfortunately, it is rather more my business than it is yours."

"Come on, Castle, let's go," Beckett said, grabbing Castle's arm. He jumped up, startled.

"Shouldn't you hear the man out?"

"Oh, puh-lease. Don't you start."

Esposito opened the door.

"I don't want to see you near Castle EVER again." Beckett muttered as she left the room, Castle in tow.

"Wait! Mam!" The man protested, eager to get her attention. "Castle hasn't done anything here. He came to us."

"You did WHAT?"

"Um, Kate-"

"No, Castle. You don't call me Kate. We were worried sick about you!"

"I came to tell them something."

"What?"

"Um…"

"Tell me Castle."

"I've actually….actually been working with them."

Beckett paled, her hands suddenly clammy on Castle's arm. She stepped backwards, shuddering.

"What?"

"Exactly what I just told you."

"This isn't the time and place for smart-ass comments."

"I know."

"I'm ashamed of you Castle." Her voice wavered, like a young kid who'd lost a battle with their parents over buying ice cream.

"Esposito, Ryan. Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11 The Dream

(A NOTE: Once again, I apologize for the really long gap between my writing. No idea where this story is headed, so just enjoy. =D My new way of breaking up the paragraphs is a "o.O.o.O" On the whole, I think this chapter sucks because I kept getting interrupted while I was trying to work on it. Grr.)

---

Beckett dropped her keys onto the table as she entered her house, cursing loudly as they fell into the goldfish bowl. Too lazy to do anything about it, she thought told herself she'd get tomorrow in the morning, making a mental note of where they were. The phone rang, its high pitched tone echoing, and she ignored it. She wasn't ready to hearing someone complain about something that had happened at work, or some person trying to sell some unnecessary gadget that would guarantee a lower electricity bill, and she certainly wasn't in the mood for talking to Castle. It reached the answering machine as she reached the kitchen, and she growled when she heard Castle's voice. Turning around, she turned on the radio and blasted it so all she could hear were the lyrics of a song in a foreign language. She didn't care. Anything was better than listening to Castle try to weasel his way back into her already miserable life.

_Coffee. Just what I need. _Whipping up a large espresso, she decided it was best if she had an early night. It wasn't as if she was going to get to sleep easily, but she may as well give it a go. After all, sleeping meant dreaming, and dreaming meant not thinking. She guzzled her coffee, the hot liquid scorching her throat as it brought tears to her eyes, spluttering, she poured the remainders into the sink, washed her mug and turned off the kitchen lights before making her way to bed.

o.O.o.O.o.O

Lying on her bed, she listened to the faint rumbles of the traffic outside. A couple of sirens wailed, dogs barked and then it was quiet. Beckett sighed, rolled over and stared at the clock.

_2:53AM_

_2:55AM_

_3:00AM_

She watched as the seconds flashed by, slowly counting up towards another minute. This was all Castle's fault. If he hadn't got his stupid self involved with the creepy CIA, none of this would be happening. It was like a nightmare turn real, really real. Clenching her eyes tightly shut, she wished it would all go away.

_This isn't happening. Well, it i- no, it's NOT happening!_

_Shut up, brain._

Castle would pay for this some day, she could feel it inside. After all, she'd gathered over the months they'd been working together that Castle had feelings for her. A couple of days ago she'd even had feelings herself for Castle.

Not any more.

o.O.o.O.o.O.

She awoke early, moaning as she sat up to get ready for work. After a quick shower, she pulled on her jeans, black t-shirt and black high heels. Her hair stuck out at strange angles as she pulled her brush through it, and she gave up after trying to curl it at the ends. She grabbed the keys from the fish bowl, the fish nibbling at her fingers.

"Sorry girl, I'll feed you tonight." She apologized, then felt stupid that she was talking to a fish.

o.O.o.O.o.O

"Morning Esposito."

"Hey, morning Beckett!" he grinned, wisely choosing not to mention Castle. Ryan walked in, coffee in hand, grin plastered on face.

"Hey! Heard from Castle?" Ryan said, and Esposito glared at him.

"No. And I don't want to hear from him _ever _again."

She sat at her desk, stacking the files into pile that had been scattered across the desk before she arrived.

"He didn't do anything that bad," Ryan said, "sure, he was working for them, but you didn't even give him a chance to explain why."

Beckett dropped her mug onto her desk, coffee splattering the files and her computer as the mug shattered.

"NO Ryan. I do NOT want to see Castle, talk to Castle, hear about Castle EVER AGAIN. Understood?" she yelled. People stopped what they were doing, mid phone call, laughing, making coffee. They anxiously watched the commotion that was unfolding before them.

"Wait a second. I didn't say you should forgive him or anything, all I'm trying to say is that we don't know what he was doing there. He said he was working for them. It can't be that bad-"

"Can't be that bad?" Beckett mimicked, her voice rising to a higher pitch. "You're kidding me! How is working for another police force 'not bad?' I think you've got some twisted wires here, Ryan, since you're obviously not seeing what Castle's done."

"Castle didn't _do _anything!"

"Oh, so now you're saying that lying isn't 'doing' anything?" Everyone was now watching in silence as Ryan and Beckett fought across the office. Most of them had learnt from experience – don't interrupt Beckett in the middle of a rant.

Ryan lowered his voice, "Look. I'm trying so sa-"

"I know what you're trying to say, you've already TOLD me. So just shut up, and leave me alone." She grabbed the remains of her mug, stalking out of the office. A stunned officer stared at her in disbelief as she walked past, and she growled. "Don't you dare bother me either, unless you want a broken nose."

Esposito ran after her as people started to talk quietly. "Beckett! Kate Beckett!"

She was just reaching the elevator when he caught up to her.

"I know what Castle was doing with the CIA."

"Now you're telling me?"

"I only found out this morning, but I didn't get the chance to tell you or Ryan."

"Spill."

"Well, you were right. He was getting what we call 'straight from the horses mouth' info from what cases we were working on. His books were just a cover story, so he basically had us wrapped around his little finger."

"Great. I could have guessed that in my sleep."

Esposito chuckled, and they stepped into the lift together.

"So, we are we going?"

"We?"

"Yeah, I'm not staying here. Everyone's gonna be talking about this morning's incident for days."

"I don't know. I was thinking of grabbing something to eat for lunch."

"Lunch? It's not even 11 o'clock yet!"

"I know. Are you coming or not?" she stepped out of the lift, eyebrows raised.

"Haha, I'm coming alright."

"Good."

They walked in silence along the footpath, the morning sun rising above the city buildings. A couple of pigeons hurried along the footpath in front of them, squabbling over a stale chip that looked rather green.

"Um, Beckett?"

"Call me Kate. I'm sick of my surname being used."

"Right, uh, Kate? Would you like to go out for dinner one night this week?" Esposito asked quietly, a smile creeping across his face.

"Actually, I'd love to." She smiled, her eyes shining in the bright morning sunlight. They walked along the beaten footpath into the city, past people talking into mobile phones, people on street corners trying to sell fresh fruit, right to the very centre of the city, where they stopped at a small shop that had been freshly renovated.

The sign outside read, "Coffee served, Write Away."


	12. The Final Chapter

Beckett suddenly sat up in bed, her hair clinging to her damp skin. She was shuddering, gulping in huge breaths of air. She kept telling herself that it was a dream; purely a game of her imagination. Nothing more that her subconscious and it's strangely disturbing thoughts.

_I've got to call Castle. _

She whipped the sheets off her legs and stumbled over to the phone, checking to make sure that her keys weren't in the fish tank. Everything seemed to be where it was supposed to be, and the familiar sound of traffic helped Beckett's breathing return to normal. She punched in the number of Castles' mobile, and waited for the familiar voice.

"Beckett? What? I thought you weren't talking to me?" Castle stammered.

Beckett sighed, "I wasn't. Was not, but I am now. I just had the weirdest dream and it's just turning my world upside down."

"Whoa, wait a minute. You're scared?"

"Didn't say I was scared, Castle, just …bothered." Beckett snapped.

"I see why this couldn't wait two hours…"

"Castle. Tell me honestly. What were you doing with the CIA?"

"Come on, Beckett, this isn't the right time to talk about it. How about we meet at Starbucks for coffee in the morning and we'll talk it over then?"

"Fine." She hung up, and curled up on the couch. It was too late to go back to sleep, but too early to get up and get dressed. She decided to have a hot shower, hoping that the scented soaps would clear her head.

o.o.o.o.

Beckett was staring at the windows of Starbucks when Castle walked in, his usual swagger reduced to a normal walk.

"Morning, Castle."

Castle slid into the Booth, sitting opposite Beckett and sat there, staring into her eyes.

"So, you wanted to talk about me."

"You could put it that way," she hesitated, then smiled.

"Well, I suppose you do deserve the right to know. Although it's nothing major, I'm not some serial killer or something."

She laughed, "Wreck my fun, why don't you?"

Castle hesitated. Was she feeling alright, or was this some mask that she was holding up?

"Well…," he paused, "They called me. They knew that I was working with NYPD on a series of cases and they wanted to know how you work on things."

"Oh. That's all?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I can feel that you were hoping I'd done something bad enough so you could slap me."

"I'd slap you anyway, Castle, doesn't matter if you did something or not."

Castle chuckled, snorting into his luke warm coffee.

"I'm really sorry that I lost it Cas-"

"Beckett, it's fine. You had every reason to think what you thought."

"How can I make it up to you?"

"You can come round my house and save me from the horrors of Martha's stories." At this comment, Beckett laughed loudly, causing several people to turn around to watch.

"I never thought I would say this, but I will. Sure, I'll come round."

"Sure. Pick you up at 7?"

"Is this a date in disguise?"

"If you want it to be." Castle grinned, and Beckett drained her coffee.

"Come on, we've got to go to work."

"Whoa, I've got a job again?"

"You never didn't have a job, Castle."

o.o.o.o

"What about this one?" Beckett held her pink, knee-high dress in front of her body.

Lanie winched. "No way."

"What about this one?"

"Whoo, that's a beauty. Black, slim, sexy and stylish. Why didn't we start with this one?"

Beckett giggled, "They say leaving the best til last is the way to do it."

She pulled on the dress carefully, her slim figure being boasted by the close fitting dress. Castle was impatiently waiting outside in the car, and had been leaning on the horn continually for the past 5 minutes. Beckett wasn't surprised when she left her house that there were people standing around glaring at the car.

"Impatient, much?"

Castle smirked. "Late, much? It's quarter to eight!"

"No hurry, is there?"

"Martha will be thinking I've been kidnapped, or robbed, or murdered…the list goes on forever."

Beckett smiled, "What's with the flashy car?" The SUV pulled into traffic almost easily, and they coasted down the roads to Castle's apartment.

"Well, I'm in the crime industry. Better safe than sorry."

"Right…"

They sat in silence as traffic started to bank up, and a Beckett turned to Castle.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you. It's a girl/guy kind of thing."

Castle turned to look at her with an expression of surprise.

"Alrighty, tell me."

"Well, I like this guy, and I think he likes me. Trouble is, we've been through some pretty bad ups and downs over the time that I've known him, and I don't know how to tell him that I like him."

Beckett felt surprised as she saw a flicker of hurt cross Castle's face. His normal grin returned, "Okay, call the news crew. You just told me something about your private life?" Castle chuckled. "If you're serious about this guy, and you think that you'd get on well together, my advice would be go for it."

"Really?"

"Truly."

"Alright. Castle, I wasn't talking about someone else."

"Who were you talking about then?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes. Castle, I'm serious. I didn't think it was possible, but I think I'm in love. And with a guy I never thought I would ever be in love with."

Castle stopped the car, and horns started to sound behind them.

"I love you, Castle."

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THE END.


End file.
